Hit 500 hours on my old floor sander and it's still going strong

I bought this Clarke floor sander used for $300 about eight years ago. The guy said it had maybe 100 hours on it, but who knows. I just hit 500 hours on the meter this week after refinishing my whole basement. Thing sounds like a jet engine and weighs a ton, but it just won't quit. I've changed the pads and belts, but the motor itself has never needed work. Makes me wonder if any new tool I buy will last half as long. What's the most hours you've put on a single power tool before it died?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_beth3mo ago

Sounds like it's just getting broken in.

nora_chen15d ago

Is it though? I mean yeah it's got some hours on it but 800 ain't that much in the grand scheme of things. @willow_king, your dad's saw sounds like a classic case of survivor bias - the ones that lasted are the ones people still talk about, but plenty of old stuff crapped out too. If the new ones were as bad as everyone says, nobody would be buying them and Home Depot would be out of business by now. Honestly, I've seen so many posts about "they don't make em like they used to" that it's starting to feel like a badge of honor for a tool that just got lucky.

willow_king3mo ago

My dad's old Craftsman table saw is pushing 800 hours. The switch is held together with electrical tape and it smells like hot dust when you run it, but it still cuts true. I'm convinced the new ones are built to a price point the old stuff just wasn't.

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